Yesterday was jam-packed with activity. We were on the road by 6:30, on our stools at Biddeford's Palace Diner by 7, and at the bird sanctuary before 8. It was a cold and quiet morning on the beach and along the salt marshes, the tide at its lowest ebb and the sand stretched before us like a plain. We were all deeply happy to be there. Then mid-morning we headed back to busy Portland--stopped at the grocery store, stopped at the cheese shop--then home again, to immerse ourselves in our ongoing massive Wingspan board game contest. By early afternoon P's college friend had stopped by, Tom was lighting the firepit, and I was prepping a midday grill feast of venison backstrap, halloumi, and hot cider; our neighbor had stopped in to say hello to the kids, and the six of us hung out for a few hours in our coats and hats, nibbling on grilled meat and cheese, warming up with cider, until our visitors dispersed and we four returned to our giant Wingspan game. And then a movie was proposed, so all plus Chuck piled onto the guest bed and were teary over Train Dreams. And then we closed the evening with pizza delivery and Yahtzee, and I, for one, slept like a bear.

This morning the young people will head out for breakfast with their friends, then probably propose yet more Wingspan until bus time. And by early afternoon they will be gone, and T and Chuck and I will feel a little dull for a few hours until we relapse into our regular patterns. It's been such a sweet visit. It could not have been sweeter.